NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s

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Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets (Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons/Allsport) /

50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 4. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon was already a full-fledged superstar at the dawn of the new decade, having earned five All-Star bids and a rebounding title.

But as the Houston Rockets entered the 1990s, Olajuwon was about to blow up even more.

The NBA’s MVP in 1993-94 and its Defensive Player of the Year in both 1992-93 and 1993-94, Olajuwon was a seven-time All-Star in the decade, an eight-time All-NBA selection and a six-time All-Defensive recipient.

He also finished second in the MVP voting in 1992-93, fourth in 1995-96 and fifth in 1994-95.

Olajuwon led the NBA in rebounds (1,149) and rebounds per game (14.0) in 1989-90, topped the league in blocked shots in 1989-90 (376) and 1992-93 (342) and was a three-time leader in blocks per game (4.6 in 1989-90, 3.9 in 1990-91 and 4.2 in 1992-93).

He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, earning Finals MVP honors both years.

In a seven-game triumph over the New York Knicks in 1994, Olajuwon averaged 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 43.1 minutes per game in the Finals, shooting .500/1-for-1/.860.

In a four-game sweep of the Orlando Magic in 1995, he averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, two steals and two blocks in 44.8 minutes per game on .483/1-for-1/.692 shooting.

The No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Houston by the Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft, Olajuwon left Houston in August 2001 when he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for first- and second-round picks in 2002.

Olajuwon retired in November 2002 after an 18-year career.

In the 1990s, he averaged 23.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, three assists and 1.8 steals in 38.1 minutes per game, shooting .513/.240/.747.

Olajuwon was the top shot-blocker of the decade with 2,381 blocked shots and was also sixth with 16,484 points and an average of 23.9 points per game, third with 8,000 rebounds, seventh with 1,229 steals, fifth with an average of 11.6 rebounds per game.

He is the NBA’s all-time leader with 3,830 blocked shots and is also 29th in NBA history with 1,238 games, 18th with 44,222 minutes played, 13th with 13,748 rebounds, eighth with 2,162 steals, 10th with 26,946 points, 30th with an average of 21.8 points per game, 25th with an average of 11.1 rebounds per game, 24th with an average of 1.7 steals per game and third with an average of 3.1 blocks per game.

Named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1997, Olajuwon was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.